News

Commissioning OF Director of the Church of Ireland Theological
Institute

Inauguration of the new
Church of Ireland Theological Institute and the Commissioning Of Director
of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute

A special service of Inauguration for the Church of Ireland Theological Institute
(formerly College) and Commissioning of its Director, the Revd Dr Maurice Elliott,
was held at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on Thursday 13th November.
Attended
by
a
large
congregation of clergy and laity including current students and participants
in the Institute’s new Foundation Course, the service was presided over
by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr John Neill. The preacher was the
Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, OBE.

The event marked another key stage in the development of the Institute and
future training for Church of Ireland ministry following an historic agreement
with Trinity College, Dublin last month which introduced a pioneering Master’s
Degree Course in Theology. The partnership between the two institutions expresses
one especially committed to faith formation and pastoral ministry and a university
environment committed to academic education, scholarship and research. Speaking
before the service, Dr Maurice Elliott explained, ‘Through its new course
the Institute intends to equip and prepare people effectively for the mission
of the church in 21st-century Ireland on the basis of a rigorous integration
of theory and practice. In due course it will serve the training needs of those
entering ordained ministry and others who wish to remain in lay ministry. I
look forward to seeing the Institute thrive as a central hub of life of the
Church of Ireland’

In his address, Archbishop Alan Harper said, ‘We must make things new
in order to be better fitted and more effective for the demands of a new time.
This is the lofty aspiration of the nascent Church of Ireland Theological Institute.’

The Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Chair of the Ministry
Formation Project, further commented, ‘The Theological Institute offers
to members of the Church of Ireland a new way of collaborative learning which
will involve the Church in its totality. Exciting pathways of training for
lay leadership and service will open up alongside and in combination with training
of clergy for freshly focussed ordained ministry.’

Pictured with the Revd Dr Maurice Elliott (centre) at his
Commissioning as Director of the Church of Ireland Theological
Institute in Christ Church Cathedral are the Bishops and Archbishops
present (left to right) the Most Revd Richard Clarke, Meath and
Kildare, the Rt Revd Harold Good, Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Trevor
Williams, Limerick and Killaloe, the Most Revd Alan Harper, Archbishop
of Armagh, the Most Revd Dr John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin, the Rt
Revd Michael Jackson, Clogher, the Rt Revd Alan Abernethy, Connor and
the Rt Revd Ken Clarke, Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh.

The Revd Dr Maurice Elliott (centre) with students of the Church of
Ireland Theological Institute following Dr Elliott's Commissioning as
the Institute's Director in Christ Church Cathedral.

The Revd Dr Maurice Elliott at his commissioning in Christ Church
Cathedral, Dublin with the Rt Revd Michael Jackson, Bishop of Clogher.